Valen Kingdoms
Valengal The lands of valenagl are mad up of several different kingdoms combined into one under a Monarch who serves as the head of state and church, The peoples are made up fo the original inhabitants, The Mesans and the Clansmen as well as their conquerors. They were conquered by the invading fleets of Ebarungs from across the sea and for a time became part of the Ebonwode territory, Although the mesans and clansmen are a conquered people the unity they found under their Ebarung rulers allowed them to hold back the tides of Draug and Tyrants and later the armies of growing chimeria Eventually the lands of valengal split off from the Ebonwode empire when one of their greatest lords was visited by the gods of the mesans, They called him their champion and offered him and his people a place in their halls after death if he would take up arms and defeat the invaders, Over the next seven years a great war known as “The war of revelation” was fought. The newly combined armies of the Valens and mesans struggled against the forces of Ebonwode but in the end where no match, The might of the Ebarung armies combined with the terrifying power of “Saint Lord Wrath” almost destroyed the fledgling kingdoms, Then one day without any warning all of the ebarung armies withdrew to beyond the burgish lands and closed their borders. The newly crowned king of valengal began to build his territorys and strengthen his hold on his new lands, He created the council of lords which endures to this day and gave his greates generals and warriors titles in the traditions of the original empire, The mesans accepted the rule of the new council readily because they were offered equal seats for their greatest warriors, The clansmen decalred themselves an independent kingdom briefly but fell to the trade embargos imposed by the new king and the threat of a full fledged invasion, The kingdom recently celebrated the 900th year since its founding. The lands of Valengal are split into three distinct provinces Valengal Proper This is the least populated and most dangerous part of the kingdoms, The lands of valengal are cold and hilly with many dense and foreboding forests across the land, Great mountains known as the stone towers in lord Mallorys land are known to be home to giants, The draug attack from the south and the chimerians from the north, Valengal is not a good place to be weak. }The lords of valengal are vicious but practical men, They have less time to devote to the mysteries of the world and don’t spend a lot of time learning arcane or divine disciplines, they do howver make great soldiers and are almost impossible to defeat in their own lands, They are the closest racially to the original ebarung colonists. The forests are full of many dangerous creatures including Trolls, Hill giants, Dire Bears, and Occasionally Orc raiders from the chasms beneath the earth, Fire and Acid trolls will rarely appear and in the winter even Frost trolls. The hartlands are a more open and fertile land where the most people in valengal live, it is also a hub of agricultural production and is under the rulership of Earl Baldassar Hart, Eben though it is an open area forest thicket, rivers, and ravines scatter across the land making travel dangerous and logistics difficult The mountainous central areas are full of natural resources and have attracted rough and pioneering men, Mines dot the bases of the mountains and the cities are covered in soot from Duke Mallory’s great foundries, The summits of the mountains are home to Wyverns. Deep in the mines of the Mallory lands are the sprawling cave networks of the stoneblood clans, the dwarves in this area are vassals of lord Mallory since the advent of the stoneblood war, Beneath the stoneblood caverns are the entrance to thousands of winding caverns. The Mesa {C}These are the lands populated by the Mesans, They are a proud and noble people who hold truth and honour among their highest virtues, Mesans are tall and fair and are of a lighter build than Valens, The Mesans were originally a nomadic people so all of their cities and castles have been constructed since the Ebarung invasions, They have a strong affinity for horses and provide the best Heavy cavalrymen in the kingdoms. The mesa has great fertile plains and rolling hills were one can see for miles in every direction, Cities and castles dot the landscape surrounded by verdant farms, The weather here is fair and the winters easy, The only things the Mesans have to worry about are storms and the other creatures who prosper in these lands. Although the Mesans are no longer a nomadic people they still base most of their agriculture on livestock, Cattle and wild horses are common, Griffins hunt in the more remote areas and landwyrms burrow beneath the earth. Because of the open borders in the Mesa small border towers are built frequently by its lords to maintain control of their territories, Mounted patrols travel the borders in groups and also share responsibility for securing the roads. Although the weather here is pleasant the region does suffer from tornados and huge thunderstorms, during these storms the borders are at their weakest because cavalrymen have trouble controlling their mounts during the lightning and thunder. The horses of the mesa are considered the best in the world and many poachers attempt to steal both the wild herds (who are considered the property of the lord who’s land they run on) and the lords prized stock, most lords support a chapter of the pathfinders guild to help them prevent poachers as well as keep an eye on their borders. The Clanlands {The clanlands are a wet and foggy place covered with steep rolling hills and deep ravines, The roads here are treacherous and are often destroyed by landslides, Bandits flourish because it is a rough place but the Men in the clanlands are up to the challenge, Men here can take many wives because only one in five will grow to reach adulthood, Once great raiders the clansmen now make their money in more traditional ways but still provide the bulk of the mercenary armies used the the lords in the Mesa and the clanlands Each lord in the clanlands is acknowledged by his people as a clan chieftan, The authority comes from the king but the Clansmen are a stubborn people and refuse to give up their traditional titles, Clansmen fight almost exclusively with the sword and tattoo the names of warriors they have slain on their sword arms, They are vicious warriors but lack the discipline needed to make great soldiers, When pressed the clansmen also fight with pikes (Because of mesan cavalry) and javelins. The clanlands are a hostile place and the lands are very difficult to till and set up farmland, because of this the tribesmen of the clanlands are {very proficient hunters and trappers, the bigger tribes still attempt to cultivate land or import food but starvation is always an imminent threat, food is very well guarded and sells for a premium price. The wilds of the clanlands are home to trolls, Ogres, Hobgoblins, Gnolls Hill Giants, Bugbears, Owlbears, Harpys and Gibberlings, most of these Creatures spend their time fighting each other more than the clansmen Because the clan chieftains quickly unite to destroy any real monstrous threat, They do however make travel quite dangerous. There are also many ruins in the clanlands, Ones left by the original Clansmen who fought the ebarung invaders, Ebarung weapons caches, destroyed clanhalls and some older ruins that the clansmen claim were created by the Green Men who lived on those lands millennia before, these places whilst not sacred to the clansmen are strictly avoided. 'Government ' Valengal is a hereditary Monarchy headed by King Tergon, Beneath him are the Earls who govern each individual country within the valen kingdoms and oversee the ruling councils of those kingdoms, they are also responsible for matters of mutual deffense and for settling disputes between Dukes. Next are the Dukes who directly goivern each individual Province in the kingdoms, each has al large provincial capital which he holds as a personal fief, he then grants lands in his province to barons who govern smaller holdings and provide troops for his armies. Barons are the lowest rank permitted to attend the house of lords or create other lords, They can create count who rule individual settlements in their provinces and directly train men to fight in their armies. Counts are men with smaller holdings, they are the lowest rank allowed to run a town and have a standing army. A knight is the lowest rank of valen nobility, they may administer an estate and vast personal holdings, they may have a small number of men at arms to answer the calls of their higher lords but must seek their lords permission to train additional soldiers. Unlanded Gentry are men and women who hold no territorys but weild great influence in the kingdoms either through Blood, Gold, Influence or Deeds, They function as equals to their landed counterparts in every way except for the fact that they fall one rank lower when entering that lords lands. The council of lords is a building in the capital where all the major policies of the kingdoms are voted on by the standing lords, These edicts can be overridden by the king but this rarely happens, Earls votes count for three, Dukes for Two, Barons for one, These matters can include directing wars, Trade laws, Religious matters and border dispoutes, A lord may choose to send a herald in his place to speak his will if he is unable to attend directly. For small matters in towns people go before magistrates, For more serious matters they can either choose to be tried by jury or tried by arms, They may select a champion to fight for them in the trial by arms, The jury is made up of the ten people most affected by the crimes in question as they have the largest stake in the matter and deserve the right to have their say. The ranks in order are as follows Serf – Slave – Peasant – Freeman – Gentelman – Esquire – Squire – Knight Bachelor – Knight Errant - Knight – Viscount – Count - Marquee – Baron – Duke – Earl – Prince – King 'Daily Life ' The average citizen in valengal spends their time working for their feudal lord, Men are free to pick the trades they want and can seek apprenticeships with the various guildhouses that dot the lands, Farmers tend their crops and miners dig their tunnels. Life for the average person is good, The towns are well defended, Food is relatively easy to come by and although there are still many poor poverty is relatively low. Valen peoples are violent and strong willed by nature, fights are common and martial prowess is highly prizes, ever man in valengal knows how to fight to a degree. Birthdays Everyone in valengal celebrates their birthday on the same day, It is a general holiday and is usually celebrated with feasts, tournaments, performances and the exchanging of gifts, Usually a person gives gifts to their parents, and sometimes recives from their parents, but it is not unheard of to receive gifts from siblings and close friends. Weddings A traditional valen wedding is hosted by the brides father, It is usually a day long event involving feasting and drinking, The higher classes of people throw more lavish feasts that sometimes run for multiple days, The ceremony involves everyone forming a circle around the bride and groom, The groom waits in the center and the bride enters from outside, The master of ceremonies asks the assembled people if anyone would contest the impending union, The groom is then required to duel anyone who would step forward or leave the ceremony. After the duels the bride and groom exchange vows which they choose themselves, The compulsory vows are Honesty, Trust and Loyalty, Voluntary ones include Fidelity, Passion, Protection and Prosperity. After the vows the ceremony concludes with feasting and drinking and sometimes entertainment, The groom then carries the bride off to a ceremonial tent, One in the style used by the first Ebarung invaders before they built their keeps and settled down. Birth When a child is born the parents spend the first day with the child alone, On the second day they have their close friends and family come to meet the newborn one at a time, Each person leaves a small token as a blessing for the child, The tokens could be coins, Totems, Artworks etc as long as it has some meaning, On the third day the parents choose a name for the child. Death A valen funeral involves the deceased being put on a pyre with ceremonial weapons and chainmail made from bronze to carry to the afterlife, They are surrounded by their favourite personal items and the pyre is burnt, Mourning is observed for up to three days, If the death was sudden then the deceased’s siblings traditionally support the widow/er by working in that persons stead, If the deceased died in the service of a lord they lord will play a Bloodgeld to the family equal to one years wages, It is also customary for the other soldiers from that persons unit to take up the task of guarding the family of their fallen comrade to prevent them from falling into prostitution or poverty. Society Outside the ranks of nobility the highest social status available is that of the warrior, These men aspire to serve knights as men at arms and form the elite core of the valen armies, Next is the merchant class who are respected for their wealth and economic acumen, After them are Tradesmen who are respected for their skills in whatever trade they undertake, Men and Women hold equal status in Valen society dependent upon the strength of their will and their achievements, Men are more common in places of power because valen men are naturally very aggressive, egotistical and competitive, Poverty Poverty in valen is rare, largely because valen people do not value charity and most crippled, disfigured or unfortunate people perish, It does still exist especially in larger cities where dens of thieves and burgish crime families flourish, Most able bodied people when desperate attempt to join one of the religious orders, join a mercenary company or swear into serfdom for protection and food. Commerce Valengal runs on a standard monetary economy, the most common forms of currency are precious metals which are valued by weight, Gems are used for large purchases and letters of credit from counting houses are used when the sums become unfeasible to transport, For smaller purchases bartering and trading goods is very common, Larger trades usually involve one of the trading consortiums that operate in the area., Lords take a 10% tithe from all large commercial trades, It is the responsibility of the merchant to make sure that this tax is paid and attempting to avoid this tax is considered smuggling and is punishable by forced labour. The only exception is for lords trading on their own lands, these trades are exempt from higher taxes. Clothing Common people Everyday clothing in valengal includes Hose, Shirt, Doublets, Cowls, Long cotes, Shin boots, Belt, Money Pouch, Sidearm and occasionally a backpack for heavier goods, They are usually made from cotton and linen, sometimes wool if the person is wealthy enough and are dull hues of Green, Brown, Blue, Red and Grey, These garments are usually long and overlap to provide additional warmth. Military Each province is protected by the feudal levies of the Duke, He raises some of these men himself but calls the rest from his barons, Each baron secures their own areas and in turn summons levies from the counts in his lands who oversee the smaller settlements that the men come from, finally the counts have a host of knights who directly oversee the training and equipping of these men, The knights also serve as field officers and lead their men into battle. Some higher ranked men lead their forces directly but it is not nearly as common, Over time the role of the higher classes has adapted to promote a more tactical and strategic focused skillset as opposed to a strictly martial one, These men are also worth a very high ransom and are rarely risked in battle, some notable exceptions are Godrick Van Dracken, Justus Anjou, Stian Vikernes and Gawain Castiglione who fight on the front lines despite their station. When called to war each duke raises his banner, calls his bannermen and reports to the Earl of the area who acts as the war marshal, Each dukes forces act as a separate army with barons running divisions, Unlanded gentry hold no ranks in the military and those that do fight will also hold a military rank The first rank are levies who are poorly trained and equipped, Next are the men at arms who fight under knights, Then the Corporals who are in charge of each group of eight men, in the absence of a knight or when the forces become to large a Seargent performs the same function, A captain will sometimes take the place of a count on the battlefield and will hold equivalent rank, Only noblemen can hold rank higher than captain, these men usually use their own political ranks but in circumstances where a mans military rank exceeds his political one he is referred to as a general. All soldiers are expected to have a spear, a shield, a nasal helmet, a dagger and a tabard, men at arms will also have a Haubergon and a longsword. As men advance in the military they invest in better weapons and more protective equipment, typical enhancements in valengal include Coat of Plate armour, Splinted greaves and Bellow faced sallet helmets Valengal provides the best archers and guerrilla fighters, The Mesa provide the best heavy cavalry, The clanlands provide strong pikemen and shock troops. Religion The people in the Valen kingdoms have different ways of worshipping their gods, The Mesans being the people who first worshipped this pantheon are more devout and are more likely to become devoted in service becoming clerics or paladins. The average person sees their gods not as overlords but as example, and instead of worshipping them they try to impress them by becoming paragons of the virtue that god emphasizes, So a man who follows the gods of tradesmen will treat his work as a homage to that god and will strive for mastery of his craft to please his patron, Most people believe that the direct interest of a god is best avoided because such a great being can only cause turmoil. Clerics and Paladins are different and seek to uphold the virtues of their patron as if they were laws, They see the will of their patron as a path to better themselves and the world and spend their lives working to promote their values and the influence of their god. Duchies of the Kingdoms of Valengal Castmire “The Woodlands” Capital: Castmire Ruler : Borric Castmire Known for Guerilla fighters, Fantastic archers and Defieance Mallory “The Stone Towers” Capital: The Stone Towers Ruler: Thomas Mallory Known for mining, Ore production and magical arms & armour Hart “The Hartlands” Capital: Timberchapel Ruler: Baldassar Hart Known for food production, high population and expansion Castiglione “The Inner Coast” Capital: Port Castiglione Ruler: Gawain Castiglione Known for Urban Density, Trade, Exotic Goods Justus “The Front Lines” Capital: Citadel Anjou Ruler: Justus Anjou Known for Divine magic & enchantments, Producing whitecloaks, Peaceful and orderly. Corvin “The Gold Plains” Capital: Goldfalls Ruler: Matthias Corvin Known for Gold mines, Commerce, Excess, Valengal headquarters of the Northern Trading Consortium Vikernis “Lower Clanheld” Capital: Fort Defiance Ruler: Stian Vikernis Known for Mercenaries, Hirelings, Vicious Laws Malard “The Far Coast” Capital: Point Mallard Ruler: Alexander Mallard Known for military expertise, Industrial Production, Ammunition and transport supplies Pollus “Mystic Plains” Capital: City of Spires Ruler: Merritus Pollus Known for Arcane magic, Enchantments, Spells and Librarys, Headquarters of the Arcanum Fischer “Rouges Road” Capital: Murmus Ruler: Morgan Fischer Known for rogue activity, Organised crime, Spies De Gruder “Lands of Plenty” Capital: Grainweld Ruler: Temperance De Gruder Known for Food Production and logistical supply. Lyons “Champions March” Capital: Competus Ruler: Patrick Lyons Known for producing Heroes, Champions and Leaders. Brouge “Singing Cliffs” Capital: The Dulcet Cliffs Ruler: Natallia Brouge Known for Brothels, Bards, Servants and unorthodox and obscure knowledge Kent “Upper Clanheld” Capital: The Hound Halls Ruler: Adjutant Gaston Kent Known for gambling, Adventurors, Explorers and Treasure Hunters Van Dracken “The Dragon Lands” Capital: Castle Draccuss Ruler: Godric Van Dracken Known for absolute law, The headquarters of the Order of the Dragon, Superior Soldiers Sobieski “Inner Clanheld” Capital: The Panthers Progress Ruler: Lacrissa Sobieski Known for Berserkers, Strong Whiskey, Traditions. Crusher “Outer Clanheld” Capital: The Bullpen Ruler: Duncan Crusher Known for Rebellious People, Hidden treasures & lore of the Green Men Balix “Gor Border” Capital: Balix Central Ruler: Mortimer Balix Known for Population Growth, Civic Works and efficient government